Anna Migeon

Signal Communications

Your Annual Report : Building trust word by word

What an opportunity to talk about your accomplishments! People who read your annual report have a stake in your organization, and they want to know how their investment-- whether it's stock or gifts--is used. They have placed their money with you, and you need to build up their trust that you're using it well. You want to be direct, show results, and bring it alive.

- Find stories about your organization that will reinforce their loyalty, and tell them in a powerful way,

- Give them, along with the budget data or P&L, brief, honest explanations of successes and challenges.

- Recognize key players or donors.

- Inspire them about the future.

Read our samples below:

"One of our donors got her copy of the annual report yesterday, raved about it to me last night, and said she was going to send the Club a little extra money. She loved the pie chart and knowing where her money is going."

Transformation from the Inside Out

SMHC not only has consistently earned the Gold Seal of Approval in hospital inspections, but it’s also a leader in taking the first steps beyond the generally accepted ways of dealing with patients.

Beyond basic requirements for physical safety, our goal is to also ensure the psychological safety of our patients. And beyond the traditional approach of using consequences to control misbehavior, we seek to not only defuse a difficult situation but also discover what led to the problem. From there we are able to help patients develop the skills they lack.

This compassionate assessment approach seeks to understand before intervening. Whether a kid throws a water bottle at a staff member or comes out of his room at 2 a.m. saying he can’t sleep, we can insist on compliance with rules or we can listen and try to find out what’s wrong and how we can help kids meet expectations.

For example, “Travis,” an impulsive six-year-old, had trouble going from free time to structured group time each day. Instead of using punishment to bring about compliance with the rules, a counselor might talk with him at lunch and help prepare him for what’s next. We might make him a set of index cards with symbols or words to help him anticipate transitions and feel more successful.

Annual Report Quiz

Is your annual report leveraged as a marketing document?

Does your annual report reinforce your overall brand strategy, what you want to be rememebered for?

Do you use your annual report to build up exisiting relationships and create new ones?